Our Challenge

Cancer care is evolving rapidly. The ability to develop, trial and deploy new drugs and therapies into the NHS is key to delivering better health outcomes for patients. Partnership working between the NHS and academia, and with industry, is essential to develop and deliver the next generation of cancer treatments.

With its population of 3 million and its integrated healthcare system, Wales is ideally placed to be a test bed for industry, research funders and charities looking to develop and deploy new cancer treatments. The Cardiff Cancer Research Partnership is a key part of, and point of entry into, this research infrastructure.

We Aim to Deliver

Improved Patient Outcomes

Help increase access to cancer trials for patients across South Wales.

More Clinical Trials

Increase the amount of clinical trials carried out in South Wales.

Translate Research Into Better Lives

Help increase access to cancer trials for patients across South Wales.

Do More Research Together

Bring academics and clinicians together to develop new cancer research studies, informed by the needs of patients.

Take Research From The Lab Into The Ward

Support the development of research from the preclinical laboratory phase into patient trials.

Future-Focused Workforce

Bring together, grow and help train Wales’ cancer research workforce.

Our Expert Clinicians and Researchers

Professor Mererid Evans

Specialising in head and neck cancer and Director of the Wales Cancer Research Centre.

Professor Awen Gallimore

Specialising in immunology and co-founder of the Gallimore Godkin lab which takes basic research using model systems of cancer through to testing novel immunotherapies in patients with cancer.

Professor Alan Parker

Working from basic virology to translational oncology, involving the manipulation and engineering of adenoviruses into advanced therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancers.

Professor Steven Knapper

Haematological Cancer Lead at University Hospital of Wales, researching the development of targeted therapeutic agents in myeloid malignancies; both in pre-clinical laboratory studies and clinical research.

Dr Ceri Bygrave

Director for Haematology Research and Development at University Hospital of Wales, specialising in myeloma clinical trials.

Professor Robert Jones

Internationally recognised Chief Investigator specialising in colorectal cancer and Solid Tumour Lead for the Cardiff Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.

Dr Ricky Frazer

Specialising in renal cancer, skin cancer and immunotherapy and Clinical Lead for the Acute Oncology Assessment Unit and the Immunotherapy Toxicity Management Service at Velindre Cancer Centre.

Dr James Powell

Specialising in neuro-oncology, leading on brain tumour collaborations with CUBRIC and Clinical Lead for ARC Academy.

Dr Keith Wilson

Consultant Haematologist and Clinical Lead for blood and bone marrow transplantation at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Dr Philip Savage

Clinical Academic in Cancer Immuno-oncology at Cardiff University.

Professor Andrew Westwell

Discovery and pre-clinical development of new anticancer drugs targeting advanced and metastatic disease and Independent Board Member of Velindre University NHS Trust.

Professor Richard Clarkson

Founder of Clarkson lab at Cardiff University which has identified two genes that affect the spread of cancer.

Dr Paul Shaw

Leads Velindre's lung trial portfolio and the drug radiotherapy workstream within the Early Phase Trials Unit at Velindre.

Our Clinical Teams

Claire Lang

Very experienced senior research nurse leading the team delivering complex clinical trials.

Dr Agisilaos Zerdelis

Haematology Speciality Trainee with research interest in molecular haematology focusing on acute myeloid leukaemia.

Dr Karam Aboud

Registrar in Medical Oncology and Clinical Research Fellow at the All Wales Medical Genomics Lab, PhD candidate researching resistance signatures in lung cancer using ctDNA liquid biopsy.

Gabriella Brutto

Research Nurse with acute nursing experience providing key care to patients receiving novel and advanced therapies across both hospital sites.

Karen Pow

Clinical Trials Pharmacist managing procedures and prescriptions to ensure compliance with sponsor requirements for drug preparation.

Katie Gilmour

Research Nurse and Team Lead, currently studying for an MRes with Stirling University and member of Research Ethics Committee of Health and Care Research Wales.

Dr Ashley Poon-King

Researcher investigating telomere length and function in patients with head and neck cancer.

Dr Jennifer Golten

Researching radiotherapy for high and low-grade glioma and collaborating with CUBRIC on the use of microstructure MRI to image glioblastoma.

Cardiff Cancer Research Partnership - the partners

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

One of the largest NHS organisations in the UK providing primary and community-based services, acute services through the University Hospital of Wales and specialist tertiary services for the wider population of Wales.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has an international reputation for pioneering clinical research, including its tertiary centre for Blood Cancer treatment and a large portfolio of commercial and non-commercial trials and level 3 transplantation centre.

Research is embedded across the Health Board and our work with academia, commercial organisations, industry and other research centres is critical for improving healthcare.

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Velindre University NHS Trust

A specialist NHS provider delivering non-surgical tertiary oncology services to patients through the Velindre Cancer Service and a dedicated cancer centre.

Velindre is recognised internationally for its ground-breaking, innovative research, complex and highly specialised services, state of the art technology, and highly skilled clinical and non-clinical staff. Velindre currently hosts and sponsors a mix of commercial and non-commercial studies across a diverse range of research area.

Our portfolio includes cancer clinical trials, palliative and health care research studies, along with research into blood transfusion and transplantation medicine at the Welsh Blood Service.

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Cardiff University

Wales’ only Russell Group university with a diverse cancer research and innovation portfolio focused on accelerating the transition from lab to clinic.

At Cardiff University we have strengths in tumours and environment, drug discovery and delivery, personalised cancer genetics and clinical trials. These have allowed us to achieve and sustain recognition as a national leader and global competitor in cutting-edge cancer research.

Our cancer research portfolio is diverse, encompassing cancer biology, drug discovery, prevention and early diagnosis. By applying our expertise and knowledge across scientific disciplines, we aim improve our fundamental understanding of cancer to improve the treatments for patients with cancer.

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Our Collaborators

We also work with the following collaborators, to add their expertise and capacity to what we offer. Click the logos to visit their websites.

Support Our Mission

Join us in delivering pioneering research that transforms the lives of people diagnosed with cancer, giving them a better chance at recovery.

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